Breaking the Chains
by foolish constellations
Summary: Individually, they stand, stumble, die, & repeat. Individually, they move along in the lonely cycle that goes on forever. But it was sickening, watching their loved ones & themselves eternally suffer. Was their death all in vain? They decided, that they had enough. Together, they will break free from their chains, and live. [P3P New Game Plus AU, Pairings revealed later on.]
1. Prologue

**Breaking the Chains**  
Prologue

 **.**

 _Haven't you noticed? How everything seems like nothing but an endless cycle of your chosen path?_  
 _Is this normal?_  
 _Is...this what life really is supposed to be?_

 **.**

 _Remember that you must die._

The same lesson repeated itself countless times.

The only thing he sees above is a blinding white light, and a subtle song played in his ears. Something along the lines of _sleep peacefully_ and _eternal tranquility_ was heard from the song. He knew this song all too well, but he doesn't bother with it now. He's drowning, deep down to the abyss. The white light slowly faded into blue, and then it slowly faded to black.

He closed his eyes and took it all in. The loneliness, pain, and anguish in his heart.

 _Again._

Despite how the song that played stated clearly that he could finally rest after all the trials he had gone through, there was never a moment of peace or tranquility for him. It was quite the opposite, actually.

The cycle would keep repeating itself.

And every time it did repeat, it always felt like another dagger pierced into his heart.

He didn't want to go through this cycle anymore.

He opened his eyes after so long, and he is face to face once again with _her_.

In front of him, was the girl that he would often stumble upon whenever the adventure ends and begins. She had brown hair, tied to a ponytail and orange hairpins clipped on the left side of her hair which formed the roman numeral XXII. She wore the girl's uniform from Gekkoukan High School, the school he attended whenever he was chosen for the journey.

Right now, they were standing together on the empty, black space.

"Took you long enough, Minato." She addressed the boy, with a weak smile formed on her lips.

"...Were you lonely while I was gone, Hamuko?" The boy named Minato asked the girl.

"...Yeah. I never really liked to be alone." The girl named Hamuko spoke, "...But it can't be helped, right?"

"True." was the only words that Minato could think of to reply to her.

They remained silent afterwards. Minato decided to sit down on the black space, hugging his knees and bowing his head. Hamuko sat opposite from his side, sitting in the same position as him. Well, she didn't bow her head like what Minato was doing.

It wasn't obvious to Hamuko, but she knew that Minato started to cry.

 _Again._

They were so used to crying already, it had been a habit of theirs to cry after every journey. _**Every**_ _ **single**_ _ **damn**_ _ **time**_ they finished, they would come back here to this empty void, reunite with the only other person in the void, and cry. Sometimes, the other hadn't returned from their own journey.

Minato's cries were more quiet and somber, while Hamuko's cries were always loud and painful.

The silence was cut off by a faint song playing in the midst of the empty space. Suddenly, Hamuko felt it. She felt her entire body pulling her, _forcing_ her to move. Away from the void, away from Minato, and to start her journey once again.

Minato jolted up from where he sat and could only stare at Hamuko, frozen and unable to move at all.

With a sad smile formed on her lips, Hamuko accepted her fate. Before she disappeared, she called out to Minato. Her long time friend, her brother, her twin, her other half in this damned world of endless cycles.

"I'll be back."

 **.**

Hamuko came back, looking worse than ever before.

When she returned, she walked past Minato, greeted him coldly, and sat down opposite from his side on the empty space. She buried her face onto her hands, her hair was left ragged and unkempt, and her whole body shook in both fright and anger.

In that moment, she cried her loudest yet.

Minato stiffened from his position upon hearing her. He was supposed to get used to this. But he couldn't, he just...couldn't. Feeling pity for his friend, he sat next to her and wrapped her in his arms. Minato could feel Hamuko's tears wetting his uniform, but that didn't matter now. What's important right now, was that he needed to comfort Hamuko.

"Mi...Minato...I can't. I c-can't do this a-anymore." Hamuko choked up, "N-No matter how many times...I see them. I-I feel so happy. B-But in the e-end...they...they..."

"Ssshh..." Minato calmed her down and gave her a pat on the head.

Hamuko continued to speak despite how uncontrollable her tears were, "I love...them...Minato. I love _love love_ _ **selfishly and selflessly love**_ t-them! A-And...it just...feels so. Wrong. Unfair. Y-You know, how...we die. I-Is it wrong...to be selfish for once...? T-To want to live on _after the Fall_...? To live on... _ **after**_ _ **Graduation**_...? I m-mean...I want to _seal_ Nyx. But...we...don't even get to do just that. Are we even the Great Seal?! How can I be happy with my own death if we don't even die for the right reasons?!"

"Now that I think about it, it is strange. We...are supposed to be sealing Nyx, and yet..." Minato's words trailed and he pondered over what she had said. Are they sealing Nyx? Or are they just going through a time loop? Maybe this was what it was like becoming the seal, but it really doesn't feel like it either.

"...Minato." Hamuko called out Minato's name, startling the boy and interrupting his thoughts.

"Hm?" He responded.

"...Is it wrong...to wish to continue living on?" Hamuko asked.

"...No." Minato replied, "There is...nothing wrong at all with wanting to keep on living."

Hamuko didn't respond to his statement and only continued crying, but her cries were less quieter now.

They remained in their position for quite some time. Minato didn't think of letting go of Hamuko, fearing that she might start crying again. After a few more moments, Hamuko pulled herself away from Minato's grasp. Her eyes were red from the excessive crying and her body still shook a bit every time she moved. Her bright red eyes stared back at his dull, blue ones. In that moment, Minato could feel that something hatched up inside that brain of hers.

For the first time in so long, she smiled brightly.

"...You know what. We will live, Minato." She spoke proudly. She crossed her arms together and wide grin formed on her lips.

Minato stood up and tilted his head in confusion, "What...?"

"You heard me, Minato. I am so tired of all this. We live for only a moment, and then we die. We don't move forward, only repeat!" Hamuko exclaimed, "What's the point of living if we died in vain? _Are we even the Great Seal?!_ I'm so _fucking_ _ **tired**_ of this. I want...to get out of here."

"H-Hamuko..."

She clenched her fists and stared back at the beyonds of the empty void. Hamuko stomped her foot in anger, and she screamed out her words like a battle cry.

" _Everyone_ is going to **live**! _S.E.E.S._ will **live** on! _Yukari, Junpei, Mitsuru-senpai, Akihiko-senpai, Fuuka, Ken, Koromaru_ , and even _Shinjiro-senpai_ will **live** on! _Minato_ will **live** on! _I_ will **live** on! _We_ , _Minato Arisato and Hamuko Arisato_ , will **_change our fate and LIVE!_** "

Just like an answer to her call, a powerful force had started to pull Hamuko away from the void. But instead of becoming frightened of what would unfold or completely surrender to her fate, she put on her brave face and pushed her weight down so she wouldn't get sucked in. A flame had ignited inside her mind, body, and soul.

She turned to face Minato, and outstretched her hand to the silent boy she had known for years? Decades? Centuries? She never really knew.

"I'm not going without you!" She exclaimed. She pushed all of her weight down to the floor, which gave her at least a few more moments in the void before being sucked into the journey again.

Minato's eyes widened, amazed by this newfound determination that sparked inside Hamuko. Like her, he did want to live on. He died so many times, so many many times that he had already lost count. He was supposed to become the Great Seal, but he hasn't ever encountered it at all. Did they really die in vain?

 _Let_ _ **them**_ _live on._

With whatever strength he had mustered up, he took hold of Hamuko's hand, a determined smile formed on Minato's lips. They will live on, even when the inevitable end comes. They will continue to breathe, continue to smile, laugh, cry, rage, again and again. Because, they didn't want to die after their journey. _Not anymore._

They.

Will.

 **Live.**

 **On.**

The force had pulled in Hamuko with a great force, which almost made her lose Minato's grip. But he was still there, holding her hand and smiling at her. She smiled back at her partner.

They were pulled away from the void, and into _**their**_ **journey**.

 _Remember that you must live._

 **.**

 **April 6, 2009  
Monday  
** **Nighttime  
** **-  
** **Waxing Gibbous**

"...Iwatodai."

"This is the final train bound for Tatsumi Port Island. Please take care to board before our final departure."

The all too familiar voice had announced. He heard the familiar noises of the train moving it's way to the last station. He looked down on the device he was holding, and he saw that it was still playing that all too familiar song that he really liked so much. Minato straightened himself up from his seat and gazed out from the window on the other side. As usual, there were no passengers on board. It was only him...and her.

He turned to the sleeping female beside him, who was leaning against his shoulder and using it as a pillow. He smiled at the sight, and looked back to the scenery from the window.

A minute later, the train came to a complete stop. Minato nudged the sleeping figure next to him. Hamuko slowly opened her eyes, yawned quite loudly, and rubbed her eyes.

"Minato...?" She asked, "...We...we did it, didn't we?"

Minato nodded, "Yeah...but it's just the beginning, Hamuko. After all, more awaits us."

They both exited the train and started to walk through the train station. Hamuko glanced on the clock that always hang on the wall. It was 11:59PM right now, with only three seconds until...

She watched as the second hand ticked up to 12 at the clock's peak. At that exact moment, it felt like all of time stopped and everything died. The lights flickered off, their music players died down, and the moon seemingly grown bigger and glowed an eerie, bright green color. The Dark Hour has finally arrived, and they _really_ needed to keep moving.

They exited the train station and passed through the quiet streets of Iwatodai. Coffins were spread out at almost every visible corner, and it looked like blood was slowly oozing out from it. There were also visible blood stains on the walls and ground, and everything just glowed a sickly green.

Normally, one would be mortified at the sight of this kind of scenery. But they were used to it, so _so_ used to it. Minato and Hamuko looked at everything without even batting an eyelash. Everything just felt too familiar.

"Hey Hamuko." Minato spoke up as they continued to walk.

"Hm?" Hamuko turned her attention to Minato.

"...In this life, we're going to be brother and sister. Twins, specifically. You don't mind, right?" Minato asked.

Hamuko blinked twice before stifling out a giggle, "Of course! I don't mind. You've always been a brother to me, after all."

Minato smiled back at her, and they continued to walk.

Minutes later, they reached their destination. In front of them, stood the place they would label as _**home**_. The Iwatodai Dormitory, home for some of the students who are currently studying in Gekkoukan High School...and more.

Hamuko opened the door and the twins entered the dormitory. Just like it always was at the beginning, it was eerie and quiet. Except in a few moments, where _he_ will appear.

"Welcome."

He's here.

The two turn around to see the young, pale boy before them. He wore the usual getup, of course, which were black and white striped pajamas. He gazed at them both with wonder in his eyes, and gave them the creepiest yet innocent smile.

"...You're both late. I was waiting for a long time."

Hamuko felt like punching the boy, because she knew what was coming next. It was the gateway to their...supposed fate. But she could feel Minato's eyes watching her carefully and internally warning her not to make unwanted movements. So, she stayed still.

They watched as he took out a piece of paper and pen from behind. With a smile, he handed it to them.

"If you wish to proceed, sign here. It's a contract." He explained, "There's no need to be scared. It just binds you to accepting _full_ responsibility for your actions."

They took the paper from the boy, read the usual "I chooseth this fate of mine own free will.", and signed it. Minato signed first, showing off his signature just looked like a simple squiggle. Hamuko hesitantly signed next, showing off her signature looked like a mesh of doodles.

Minato returned the paper to the boy, and he took it back. That creepy smile still formed on his lips.

"Very well. Time is something no one escape." He spoke again the usual words, "It delivers us all to the same end. Wishing won't make it go away.

"...Or perhaps, thanks to your actions, it could be possible."

He mumbled those last words. The twins swore that they heard him right, and they both turned to his direction with shocked expressions. He was still smiling at them.

"And so...it begins..."

"Wait-!"

By the time Hamuko had shouted her words, the boy had already melted into the darkness. It was just them again. Before they could assemble their thoughts about what they had just heard, a girl's voice called out to them.

"W-Who's there?!"

They turned around to see a familiar person. Short, brown hair, the hazel eyes, and the all too familiar way she wore her school uniform. It was Yukari Takeba, and she was a moment late yet again from seeing the young boy that had stood before them moments ago.

"How can you both be...?! It's...!" She paused, "...Don't tell me."

Yukari held onto a 'gun' tightly on her hand, and before she could make any movements. Another voice called out to her.

"Wait...!"

The first girl paused her actions and all living souls turned their attention to the red-haired woman that stood at the top of the stairs. They knew who it was too well, it was Mitsuru Kirijo. At the same time of Mitsuru's arrival, the lights flickered back on and their music players have started to play the song again. Yukari yelped a bit, shocked to see that the electricity had started to run again.

Mitsuru faced the twins, and her eyes widened the moment her gaze met theirs.

"...That's odd, there's only supposed to be only one transfer student." She spoke.

What?

"Excuse me...? But I thought that both of us would be applying for a dorm and in Gekkoukan High this year." Minato spoke up, looking at the two females with concern in his eyes. They wondered if this was a cause of their appearance. After all, only one was supposed to be here.

"Really...? Well then, I will be overlooking that information later on then." She said, "My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I am one of the students who is living in this dorm."

"Hey Senpai, who are they...?" Yukari asked, staring at the two students curiously, "And what did you mean by there was only supposed to be one?"

"They are the transfer students. Well, there was only supposed to be one." Mitsuru explained to the curious Yukari, "It's most likely just misinformation on my part. Anyways, it was a last minute decision for assign them here."

Yukari gulped, "Is it okay for the both of them to be here?"

"Hmm, I guess we'll see." Mitsuru replied, "Oh, and this is Yukari Takeba. She'll be a junior this spring, just like you both, I presume?."

Mitsuru introduced Yukari to the twins. Minato and Hamuko both nodded as a reply to Mitsuru's inquiry. Still a bit skeptical by the newcomers' sudden arrival and other things, Yukari greeted them.

"Hi, I'm Yukari."

For now, they decided to not ask her about the gun. Or about the dorm.

"Nice to meet you too, Yukari. My name is Minato Arisato. I'll be a junior this year as well." Minato greeted her with a small smile.

"And I'm Hamuko Arisato. I'll be a junior too!" Hamuko greeted her happily.

They both greeted the brunette with warm smiles on their faces. Yukari felt like a huge burden had been taken away from her shoulders. They didn't seem that bad, she thought. They both seemed really friendly and nice.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too." Yukari gave them with her warmest smile.

There was a momentary silence between the four. Mitsuru decided to break the ice.

"Anyways, it's getting late. Minato, right?" She turned her attention to Minato, "I hope you don't mind if I would start calling you as such, to avoid confusion with your sister. You will find your room on the second floor while Hamuko's room would be on the third floor. Hopefully, your things should already be there. I suggest you along with your sister tuck in for the night."

"Alright." Minato responded, while Hamuko nodded to confirm that she heard Mitsuru.

"I'll show you both the way, follow me." Yukari jumped in, motioning for the twins to follow her.

Minato and Hamuko started to follow Yukari up the stairs. The three didn't say a word to each other as they followed her. They both still felt like something was bothering Yukari. Well, it can't be helped. People usually turned to coffins whenever the Dark Hour happened, and apparently, they weren't those kind of people...Yukari (and Mitsuru), included. They were 'special'.

Eventually, they reached Minato's room. Like always, it was at the end of the boys' hallway.

"Well, here we are. Minato, this would be your room." Yukari announced, pointing to the door in front of them, "It's pretty easy to remember, right? Since it's at the end of the hall."

"Yes, yes it is." Minato replied.

"So, any questions?" Yukari asked, a smile formed on her lips.

"...No, not really." Hamuko replied. Minato could only nod in response.

Yukari sighed, "All right, then. Oh, and can I ask you bothsomething?

"...On your way here to the station, was everything okay...?"

"Yeah." They instantly replied.

 _Lies._

"I see. Nevermind, then." Yukari spoke, "...Well, I'm pretty sure you both have other questions, but let's save them for later, okay? I will get going now. Good night, Minato. Hamuko, I will lead you to your room now."

Yukari started to walk up the stairs to the third floor, with Hamuko trailing behind her. Minato watched them in silence, before deciding to enter his all too familiar room.

It looked the same as always whenever he would first enter his room. The small, blue bed is kept neat and tidy, a small TV is across it which he might actually never use, a study desk that he would never use for studying...anymore. Like, come on, for the past few runs, he's always been the highest in his class and batch. Well, he would use it that desk to play the video game Junpei would give him later on. If...he would give it later on. There was also the tiny refrigerator, sink, closet, shelves, and more tables so he could put his important stuff on.

From what Hamuko told him, their rooms actually looked pretty similar, well, except for the color of the bedsheets. But like it really mattered to him.

He felt a bit drowsy, as he started to yawn and he could feel all the muscles in his body aching. Minato decided to sleep now, as he remembered that he needed to attend school tomorrow...again. As if on impulse, he had dragged himself onto the bed, covered himself up with the sheets, and fell asleep instantly.

* * *

 **A/N:** ...hhHHIIIII this isn't my first time in fanfiction by the way, but this is my first time writing fanfiction for the Persona franchise.

I'm using "Hamuko" instead of "Minako," so I won't confuse myself between "Minako" and "Minato". Also, they'll be labelled as "siblings" here, even if they're not in the fic. They just want to. Yeah.

...Anyways, this idea was stuck in my head for a super long time, and I really...wanted to share it with you all. Although, the whole idea of what would happen is only 80% done. I just still need to fix stuff, like what Social Links should I change and what not.

If you didn't know or notice the summary, this story takes place in a P3P New Game Plus AU! What kind of AU? Well, that's a secret for now...saying what kind would be spoiling already the entire plot. And because of the twins' appearance, many things change, if...that wasn't obvious already.

...Anywho! So, there's also pairings! I already have a pairing for FeMC (Hamuko) but none for Minato. Soooo...let's have a game!

Can you can guess who will Hamuko's lover would be? If you squint and actually lurk somewhere, someplace, you might get a hint on who would be her lover! Literally, just...browse around. First person who guesses Hamuko's lover gets to choose who would be Minato's lover! I would PM the winner so the pairings is still left as a surprise until it's reveal in a feeeewwww chapters! Oh yeah, Minato's lovers can't be Hamuko, Hamuko's lover, Junpei (because you know, Chidori.), or anyone in Strega or someone old like Ikutsuki (being safe!) ...Oh yeah, you can make Minato's lover a guy...it's all up to you!

And, I guess, that's it! That was long, haha. Reviews are greatly appreciated and see you all in the next chapter!


	2. Normal Student By Day

**Breaking the Chains  
** Normal Student by Day...

 **.**

 _Keep silent of the grave sin you've committed  
Act like you know nothing...  
...yet remain your true self._

 **.**

 **April 7, 2009  
Tuesday  
Morning  
-**  
 **Waxing Gibbous**

Minato woke up twenty minutes earlier than usual. He groaned as his eyes opened up and the sun nearly blinded him. He was about to complain how he was here again, alone, but then the events of last night suddenly rose into his mind.

 _"Oh,"_ He thought, _"Hamuko_ _ **is**_ _here with me."_

A small smile formed on his lips at the thought. Just thinking how he wouldn't be alone anymore felt satisfying to think about. But he also wondered how different everything would play out now. Feeling much more enthusiastic than how he was moments ago, he got up from his bed and used the time to fix himself up and take a quick shower.

By the time Yukari had knocked on his door and entered his room, he was already wearing his school uniform, finished showering, and had his school backpack slung on his shoulders. He didn't bother trying to comb his hair, as his bed hair naturally looked nice as it is.

"Good morning!" Yukari greeted him happily, "Mitsuru-senpai asked me to take you and your sister to school today. Come on, let's have some breakfast first and head to school.

They headed upstairs to fetch Hamuko, but the two were greeted by the aforementioned girl, who surprised them by jumping to their side and giving her cheesiest smile.

"Goooood morning, Minato-nii and Yukariiii!" She exclaimed loudly, winking at the two and giving them the peace sign. Minato cringed and silently prayed no one else was in the dorm to hear her shout out her morning greeting.

"A-Ah!" Yukari spoke up with a startle, "G-Good morning, Hamuko! You're up early."

Hamuko giggled, "Oh, well, I'm in a pretty good mood this morning! Heehee! Come on, let's eat breakfast!"

Yukari chuckled a bit, "Oh, we were planning on doing just that. Let's go then."

With smiles on their faces, the trio proceeded downstairs to the dorm kitchen to eat breakfast. Hamuko had prepared bowls and spoons for the three of them, took the chocolate cereal from one of the shelves, and took milk from refrigerator. She poured in the cereal and milk into the bowls, and handed two of the three filled-up bowls to Yukari and Minato.

The two thanked her for preparing breakfast for them and the three ate it all in silence.

Once they finished, they left the dorm and started to make their way for the train station.

As they walked through the quiet, morning streets of Iwatodai, Minato couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic. Sure, he had passed by this road time and time again, but for reason, something about walking through here today felt much different than everything else.

Eventually, they arrived at the train station and took the earliest train that was bound for Tatsumi Port Island. They stood up and held onto the nearest railings as the train sped away to it's destination.

As the ride went on, Hamuko narrated to Minato and Yukari about a strange dream she had last night. It was something along the lines of meeting her soulmate in a prairie of white camellias and lilies. Minato didn't try to listen to their conversation and distracted himself by putting on his headphones and listening to music with his music player.

It wasn't long until the train had started to pass through the bridge, and a beautiful view was bestowed upon the passengers through the windows. The sea that divided Tatsumi Port Island and Iwatodai looked beautiful to gaze at. The blue waters rippled below and shone as the sun rays reflected down to it, giving it a shiny effect. On the island they were heading for, there was a huge structure that stood out.

"Oh, you can see the school from here!" Yukari exclaimed, pointing out at the huge structure, "Did you know, our school was built on a manmade island?"

Hamuko nodded, "Yup! You know, we used to go here before!"

Yukari gasped in surprise, "Oh? That's nice."

After riding the train, the trio started to walk their way to school. They passed by their schoolmates, and they noticed that most of them were huddled into small groups and whispering to each other. All eyes were glued to the trio. Hamuko and Yukari didn't seem to mind the prying eyes, but Minato felt a bit bothered by it.

"Welcome to Gekkoukan High!" Yukari announced, as she stepped into the school gates with Minato and Hamuko by her side, "You're both going to love it here!"

"...I'm sure we will." Minato spoke softly, and the trio continued to walk to the school.

Upon entering the main school building, Yukari had lectured the two to proceed to the faculty office and meet up with their homeroom adviser. She left them to meet up with her archery clubmates, leaving Hamuko and Minato on their own.

They didn't bother to see their room assignments, as they already knew what room they were staying in. They decided to head for the faculty room. The two walked through the familiar hallways of the school, and noticed a few familiar faces as they walked by. Once they reached the faculty office's door, Minato knocked on the door twice and the one who opened it was unsurprisingly their (always will be) homeroom teacher, Miss Toriumi. She was holding a clipboard like usual, and when she saw the twins, she gasped and widened her eyes.

"Oh! You...two...must be the new transfer students." She spoke up, eyeing the two skeptically. She looked back at the clipboard she held and shuffled through the papers clipped on it, eyed the twins again, and back at her clipboard.

"...Is something wrong, Miss?" Hamuko asked.

"Ah, no. It's just that there seems to be a miscommunication between the principal and I. He stated that there was only going to be one transfer student in my class." Miss Toriumi explained, "But seeing that you two are here, I checked at my papers to see if you were also in my class and turns out that you are. This is probably what I get for not checking my papers beforehand."

"It's alright, Miss." Minato reassured her.

She smiled, "Oh, you're so nice. We really need more students like you."

Minato just shrugged at her comment, but he was happy to see that she had already gotten a good impression on her. After browsing through their papers one more time, she introduced herself to the two as their homeroom teacher and what subject she would be teaching.

Well, they didn't need her introduction, as they both knew her so well already...especially Minato.

After meeting up with Miss Toriumi, they were ushered to the auditorium where the school's annual first day orientation initiated. As usual, the principal had droned on and on about the school's rules and regulations. During the orientation, the twins heard many of the students gossiping and murmuring about them.

"Hey, did you see the new transfer students?"

"Yeah! One of them looks so cool, while the other looks really pretty!"

"I heard they went with Yukari Takeba to school!"

"Wha-? Seriously?!"

Minato groaned and tried to fall asleep for the rest of the orientation while Hamuko let out a sigh and slouched more in her seat. Unlike her brother, she managed to stay awake for the entire session. She probably memorized what the principal had stated in his speeches, as she had gone through this several (thousand?) times already.

 **.  
**

 **April 7, 2009  
Tuesday  
After School  
** **-  
Waxing Gibbous**

School ended uneventfully and Minato was so ecstatic to return to the dorm already. Unfortunately for him, he wouldn't be able to return to the dorm without bumping into-

"'Sup, dude?"

He slowly turned around from where he stood and saw an all too familiar face. There was only person in the entire school who could give him the goofiest grin he had ever laid eyes on.

Junpei Iori.

"You must be the new kid, right?" He asked, still giving him that silly grin.

Before Minato could respond, he felt someone touch his shoulder and turned to see Hamuko giving _almost_ the same grin as _Junpei_. Hamuko raised her hand and waved at him excitedly.

"Hey there! You just met my dear big brother, right? I'm Hamuko Arisato! And this guy here," She patted Minato at the back, "Is my big brother, Minato! What's your name?"

Minato was surprised to see that Hamuko was really friendly to him. He watched as a blush formed on Junpei's cheeks, but it faded out and he introduced himself.

"Oh, I'm Junpei Iori, nice to meet you!" He greeted to the two, "You know, I was a transfer student back when I was in eighth grade, so I know what it's like being the new kid. If you guys got any problems, you can always count on me to help you out!"

Before Hamuko could reply to his statement, Yukari walked into their conversation, took one look at Junpei, and scoffed at him like he was the worst thing she ever laid eyes on. Worse than having makeup done by a cat. Worse than being locked up in a chair in Tartarus. That kind of "worse" for Yukari Takeba.

"Ugh, can't you stop hitting on every girl you see? She just got here!" Yukari scolded the boy. Junpei widened his eyes in shock.

"H-Hey, Yuka-tan! I wasn't trying to hit on her. In fact, **she** approached **me**! I was only talking to Minato here, not her!"

Yukari groaned, "Yeah. Whatever. Anyways," She turned her attention to the twins, "What a coincidence to have you two in the same homeroom as me!"

Minato smiled, "Yeah, what a coincidence indeed."

Junpei jumped into the conversation, "H-Hey, what about me? I'm a part of this class too! Oh yeah, I heard you three came to school together! What's up with that? Two cuties walking side by side, and not to mention, escorted by a guy..."

Yukari shot a dirty look at Junpei, "W-What?! We only live in the same dorm! Nothing is going on between the three of us!"

Hamuko couldn't help but giggle at what Yukari mentioned. Something like that spreading around the school was actually quite amusing for her to think about it. Although, it could get messy for the three of them, especially for Yukari. She didn't realize that Yukari was now glaring at her. When she noticed, she yelped and shut herself up by covering her mouth with her hand before Yukari got any more funny ideas.

Minato sighed and stepped into Yukari's side, "Relax, Yukari. I'm sure those rumors would die out soon."

Yukari glared at Minato and tried to think of what to retort back at him. But she had noticed that there were people staring at the quartet.

"...Fine." Yukari said and sighed, "...A-Anyways, I need to head out for archery practice. You two would be okay on your own?"

"Yup!" Hamuko exclaimed happily, jumping up from her spot and punching the air. Minato just nodded his head in confirmation.

"Great! See you two later, then."

Yukari waved to the two goodbye and headed out of the classroom. Junpei let out a sigh of relief once Yukari left, and turned to the twins with a grin on his face.

"Looks like it's just the three of us now!" Junpei exclaimed happily, "By the way, Hamuko, I wasn't even thinking about hitting on you, okay?"

"I know you weren't." Hamuko replied to him, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Great! Now come on, I gotta bring you guys to this great place for some snacking!"

 **.**

 **April 7, 2009  
Tuesday  
Nighttime  
-**  
 **Waxing Gibbous**

After Junpei had toured them around Iwatodai Strip Mall while eating delicious takoyaki and buying cup noodles for dinner, the twins headed back to the dorm. When they entered inside the premises, they were greeted by an almost nostalgic atmosphere. It...felt like home.

"Welcome back." They heard a familiar voice greet them.

Two heads turned to see the regal Mitsuru sitting down on the sofa. She was reading her Math textbook, and they weren't surprised to see how glued she was to it. It was like she was reading the best book the universe has to offer! Hamuko would argue with that later on, once she showed Mitsuru some time later with her romance novel collection.

"We're home." They both murmured those words quietly and headed for the kitchen.

They noticed that Yukari was seated on the dining table and reading a book. Elated to see her, Hamuko decided to sit down next to her. Yukari yelped up and was surprised to see that her.

"Hey, Yukari! How are you?" Hamuko asked happily, looking at Yukari with a curious expression.

Yukari swore she saw stars twinkle on Hamuko's eyes. Sighing and closing her book, she turned to Hamuko and smiled at her.

"Oh, not much, just reading my Literature homework. Have you both eaten dinner already?" Yukari asked.

Hamuko shook her head, "Nope! But Minato-nii bought a ton of cup noodles!"

As if on cue, Minato had returned from heating up the cup noodles using the dorm's own microwave. He handed to Hamuko one of the two cup noodles, but not before warning her that it's still hot. Hamuko thanked Minato for heating the noodles for her and he smiled back as if to say, "You're welcome." He decided to sit down just across her, and started to eat the cup noodles at his own pace.

Hamuko opened the plastic that served as a lid for the cup. A waft of steam and the delicious scent of noodles escaped from the inside, and she couldn't help but grin happily. The food was ready, indeed! She picked up her chopsticks that she had kept handy since she bought them from the store, and happily exclaimed her thanks before digging in.

Yukari watched her and Minato ate their dinner in silence but happily. The only sound made in the lounge was their slurping of noodles. It wasn't long until Hamuko had made an almost awkward eye contact to Yukari, which surprised the aforementioned girl.

Hamuko smiled and slowly showed to her a half empty cup of noodles to her face.

"You want some?"

Yukari shook her head, "No, sorry. I already ate dinner."

"Oh," Hamuko frowned a bit, "That's okay...I'll continue eating then!"

For a while, Yukari felt something omnious surround the almost always cheery girl. But it faded out too quickly and just like with a snap of a finger, Hamuko's limitless energy had bounced back. Yukari found it a bit odd, but she didn't try to think about it too hard.

Hamuko began eating her noodles once again. As she ate her noodles, her gaze was locked onto Minato's and she gave off an expression that looked like she was awaiting for a challenge. Minato noticed her and the look she gave, and started to slurp his noodles. Hamuko widened her eyes and was surprised to see that he had seemingly accepted her challenge. Elated, she started to eat faster as well.

After a few more minutes of intense noodle consumption, Minato and Hamuko had instantaneously finished their cup noodles. They slammed down their empty cups on the table, but Minato had slammed down his first by a 0.5 millisecond.

"H-Hey! I finished first!" Hamuko was the first to shout, causing everyone else except Minato who was in the dorm lounge to jump in surprise.

"...No, I win." Minato proclaimed monotonously, but Hamuko swore she heard a subtle chuckle from him after he said those words.

"U-Unfair! I'm gonna get you!" Hamuko exclaimed, and she started to chase down Minato.

Minato started to run around the lounge and headed for the stairs. Hamuko chased after him, her arms raised in front of her and ready to grab onto Minato. As they ran up the stairs, they passed by an all too familiar senior. Minato made eye contact with him first, but he zipped by him right away to avoid getting distracted from what he was doing. Hamuko passed by him next. When she made eye contact with him, she couldn't help but smile at him.

He widened his eyes in shock upon noticing her.

Once their gazes were unlocked, Hamuko had rushed up the stairs and saw Minato just about to run up the second flight of stairs. Lucky for her, she was much faster than her brother (statistics have proved it!). She lunged onto him before he could do anything and pinned him down. They tumbled on the floor and eventually, laid down on floor side by side.

They stayed still for a few moments, before smiles has formed on their lips and they giggled upon realizing how silly they had just acted. It was almost not in their nature to be like this, but for some reason, it felt right. It was as if that this was how it was supposed to be.

They realized for the first time, that this was their first time that they had done something fun _together_.

And soon, they would be having fun with everyone.

 **.**

"...Who are those two, Mitsuru?" The senior that passed by the twins, known as Akihiko Sanada by those who are familiar with him, asked Mitsuru upon reaching the dorm lounge and at her side. He sat down next to her. On his hands, he wore his signature red gloves with brass knuckles attached to it. Mitsuru glanced up at him, and narrowed her eyes at him before speaking.

"...They're the transfer students that would be staying in the dorm. Are you going to train again, Akihiko?" Mitsuru asked worriedly.

Akihiko nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah. Have you seen the news lately?"

Mitsuru nodded, "Yes. People have been suddenly developing acute cases of Apathy Syndromes. While sources say that stress is the main cause of the problem-"

"It's _them_ , right?" Akihiko cut her off mid-sentence.

Mitsuru glared at Akihiko and bit her lip before responding to his inquiry, "Most likely. Are you sure you will be okay on your own?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about me, I'm just getting a little practice. Anyway, I'll be going." Akihiko bid her farewell and headed for the door to exit the dorm.

Once Akihiko had left the dorm, Mitsuru let out an exasperated sigh and mumbled something inaudible that Yukari didn't even get a chance to hear before proceeding to read her book once more.

 **.**

 **April 8, 2009  
Wednesday  
Nighttime  
** **-  
Waxing Gibbous**

School life proceeded onwards like normal. Some teachers were nice while others had already piled them up with pillars of homework during their first meeting, their classmates were friendly yet loved... _ **loved**_ to gossip, and the cafeteria food was delicious as usual. Not as delicious as a _certain someone_ 's cooking, though. Junpei was friendly to the two, and Yukari helped them whenever they had problems with some schoolwork.

On the third night together in the dorm, they were introduced to Shuji Ikutsuki. While he greeted the two with a warm smile and questioned their thoughts about school and dorm life, Minato couldn't help but notice that Hamuko was fidgeting in her seat and clenching her fists every once in a while. He knew why she was acting like this.

She was uncomfortable with Ikutsuki.

Upon finishing his introductions and bidding them a "good night," Hamuko quickly grabbed onto Minato's hand and dragged him up the stairs. Once they reached the second floor, Hamuko let out a sigh of relief and let go of Minato's hand from her grip.

"I'm sorry, I never liked Ikutsuki." She spoke, "Ever since, he..."

Minato gave her a pat on the back and she turned to face him, surprised by his sudden action.

"I understand, I don't like him either. But...you can bear his presence for a few months, right?" Minato asked.

Hamuko nodded hesitantly, "...Y-Yeah."

They stayed silent and still for a few moments. Suddenly, Minato just realized something very important.

Tomorrow was a full moon, right?

...Tomorrow was-

"...Hamuko, come with me to my room." Minato announced, "We need to discuss something important."

"What? Why...oh."

Even she realized it now.

 **.**

With tomorrow as the night they unleash their potential to their dorm mates and the forever untrustworthy chairman, the duo proceeded to Minato's room to discuss on how they would let tomorrow night play out.

Upon reaching the room, Hamuko immediately started to pace around the room, while Minato sat down on his bed and tried to remember the details of the incident and what would occur.

"Okay, okay, let's begin this meeting by remembering what had happened!" Hamuko exclaimed, "So...we first wake up from the noise, right?"

Minato nodded in confirmation.

"Right. Then, Yukari knocks on our door and asks us to get out and get out through the back. Mitsuru mentions to Yukari through her Persona's ability that the Shadow she attacked isn't the one Akihiko spotted, so we run to the roof." Minato continued.

Hamuko followed up his words, "Afterwards, we run to the roof, only to see that the Shadow had climbed up the roof. Yukari tries to attack it by calling out her Persona, but the Shadow attacks her and her Evoker flies off from her grip. It lands onto our feet and then..."

"...We summon our Persona, Orpheus. And it transforms to Thanatos, right?" Minato finished, and he looked up at Hamuko.

Hamuko nodded and crossed her arms, "...This is going to be hard. We might both be summoning Orpheus and it might transform into Thanatos!"

"Or maybe, one of us summons Orpheus and the other summons Thanatos..?" Minato asked worriedly.

"Or we both do...ugh, this is haaard! Can two people even summon the same Persona?!"

Hamuko whined loudly and lied down on the floor, flailing her arms and cursing to herself. Minato didn't mind her and continued to contemplate over what they should do. He thought long and hard, and then he realized something. That maybe...

"...Hamuko."

The girl had stopped whining at once and remained still on the floor. Her back had laid down on the floor, and she looked up at Minato's eyes. She saw that there was a sparkle that twinkled in it.

"...Minato...?"

"Let's not try to worry about what Persona we would end summoning, because we don't know exactly who our Personae might be right now...courtesy of _our_ actions." Minato began, "But...I have an idea on how we act around Yukari before and during the time we summon _a_ Persona."

"Really?!" Hamuko exclaimed, excited to hear what he has to say.

"Yup. And trust me, this plan might be a _little_ crazy."

* * *

 **A/N:** By the time I published the first chapter here, I was actually halfway done writing the second chapter! And now that I published this, I'm actually 1/4 done with the third chapter! (Hopefully, I can finish it soon ahahah)

I would like to first say a big "Thank you!" to all those who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story! I'm really surprised to see that people like this fic, haha, I hope I can meet your expectations! ;u; (you're all nice people, weeeps;;;)

Next, I want to announce that someone had finally guessed the correct answer for Hamuko's lover in the fic! I was a bit surprised to see that some even PMed me their answers, haha. I told the winner though to keep their identity a secret though, hehe, until the big reveal of the romantic partners of the MCs anyways.

If you still want to guess who Hamuko's lover is, feel free to do so! There's a super obvious clue already...somewhere...not here. You can also guess Minato's lover too, since we got one already. I'll probably PM you if you're right or wrong haha. Maybe.

Guessing games aside, thank you again for reviewing/favoriting/following this fic! Hopefully, the next update would come in less than a week. Also, you probably noticed but I changed some small bit in the story that wasn't seen in first chapter, which was adding the moon phases and replaced the time (12PM, 1AM, etc.) of the days with information what section of the day we're in (morning, after school, nighttime).

Reviews are greatly appreciated and see you all in the next chapter!


	3. Death's Fool By Night

**Breaking the Chains**  
...Death's Fool by Night

 **.**

 _Despite the bright and ever-changing path_  
 _The past's shadows and nightmares appear in the night_  
 _Coming to haunt you forever,_  
 _and ever,_  
 _and ever..._

.

 **? ? ?**

They opened their eyes to find themselves standing next to each other and seemingly in another empty empty void.

Just as they were about to question their surroundings, a small, glowing, blue light appeared before them. It floated around them slowly for a few times, flitting between them back and forth, before it decided to fly away.

They followed it, until they reached a double door at the end of their path.

"Ah, I remember." Minato spoke softly, "...Isn't this, where we find the Velvet Room and meet Igor?"

"It looks like it." Hamuko replied, "But it's quite different from our old dreams."

Minato nodded, "Well, come on, Hamuko. Let us open the door."

Without hesitation, the twins twisted on the door's two knobs, and opened it.

 **.**

Once they entered, they didn't expect that the Velvet Room had changed.

Everything looked much, much different than the Velvet Room they once knew. For once, their Velvet Room was no longer bore the appearance of an elevator. Instead, they found themselves to be standing in a space of nothingness. The only thing that seemed to have occupy a portion of the space, were the three figures who stood before them. The twins quickly recognized them as Igor, Elizabeth, and Theodore.

Igor sat down on a indigo-colored, velvety sofa at the center, with a small, circular table set up in front of him. Standing on his left was Elizabeth, who was holding a big, brown book while sitting on Igor's right was Theodore, who remained still and was smiling at the twins.

Igor opened his eyes and smiled, "Good evening, welcome to the Velvet Room. My name is Igor.

"But of course, you probably know that already."

"...Eh?!" Minato and Hamuko exclaimed simultaneously. Their eyes widened and mouths were left agape. They didn't expect Elizabeth and Theodore to be here, only Igor!

Elizabeth only giggled at their reaction, "You two must be confused by why we are here, right?"

The twins quickly nodded in response.

Igor raised up his hand again to catch the attention of all currently in the room and all eyes were directed to him.

"Well, allow me to explain," Igor began, "You see, when the both of you made your _decision_ , it had caused a great disruption and occurred many changes in your abilities, especially in your Personas and Social Links."

"What...changes do you mean?" Minato asked sternly.

"Ah, I was about to elaborate on that!" Igor piped up, "Well, you see, since you both are now binded by the contract, your powers have been partly split or would be shared. A great example would be your Social Links. Because of your presence, there are three different types of Social Links that will happen."

"...Types? But aren't all Social Links different? Each one is for an arcana, right?" Hamuko inquired.

"Well, what you say is true. But that is not what I meant." Igor replied, "You see, I sensed three different auras on the Social Link cards I have. One aura gives off a rather calming vibe, another gives off a vibrant vibe, and lastly, one gives a very...neutral vibe. Those three different auras I sensed, are these three types of Social Links. "

"Unfortunately, we could not determine what exactly do these three Social Link types mean or would do." Theodore spoke up and the twins turned to face him, "Perhaps, when you unlock your first Social Link, only then, can we understand what it's purpose would be."

"...I see..." Hamuko spoke softly, silently pondering over their words.

"Well, is there anything else that changed? Would we both summon Orpheus?" Minato asked curiously.

"While you both still retain the Wild Card Ability," Elizabeth piped into the conversation, "There are some Personae which you could no longer access unlike before. How this occurred is unknown, but for now, the two of you are only compatible with certain Arcana. As for Orpheus, well, I cannot say for sure if he remains to be both of your initial Personae."

"Oh...thank you for that information, Elizabeth." Minato responded.

"I wonder what this change could bring about." Igor spoke suddenly, "But whatever the conclusion will be, you must bear the responsibilities of it. You have chosen this path, after all." He talked and recalled the contract to the twins.

The twins nodded.

"Excellent!" Igor smiled, "Now, you both must get going. I will see you soon. Until then, farewell."

The twins watched as their surroundings slowly start to be engulfed into black. The Velvet Room residents looked at the two with smiles in their faces. And then, they were gone.

 **.**

 **April 9, 2009** **  
** **Thursday** **  
** **Morning** **  
** **-** **  
** **Full Moon**

Minato woke up with a jolt. His body was sweating and he felt an uncomfortable heat rise up in his body. His eyes looked from his left to right, checking his surroundings to make sure that there was nothing odd or out of place in his room.

After calming down, he stood up from his bed and walked to the front of the mirror in his room. His blue eyes stared back at his own reflection and observed his own appearance. His hair was frizzed in all directions and he swore that there were eyebags that have formed under his eyes. Minato couldn't tell, as he was too tired to put more effort in his observation. He let out a loud yawn before proceeding to his closet to take his school uniform. Afterwards, Minato headed for the bathroom in slow and sluggish steps to shower and freshen up for the day.

When he finished showering and changing to his school uniform, Minato returned to his room so he would fix himself up a little more, combing his hair and all. Afterwards, he picked up his school bag and headed for the flight of stairs to go down.

He only reached for the second flight of stairs when he heard two familiar voices coming from the dorm lounge. Minato slowed his steps and crouched to the ground, eavesdropping on the conversation being made between the two voices.

"...How are you liking Gekkoukan High so far?" The first voice asked.

"Oh, it's pretty great so far! Although, everyone seems to like gossiping...I hate gossip." The second voice replied, which followed with a exasperated sigh.

"I see. Don't worry about it though, you'll get used to them." The first voice reassured.

"I hope so." The second voice let out another exasperated sigh.

Minato swore he heard a chuckle from the first voice, "Well, I better get going. I have boxing practice. Take care of yourself and I'll see you around, Hamuko."

"I'll see you around too, _Sanada-senpai_!" The second voice, which belonged to Hamuko, bid farewell to her senior. Though her voice was overlapped by the sounds of "Sanada-senpai's" footsteps, and then he heard the door open and close.

 _"...Huh."_ Minato thought, " _So she has acquainted herself with Akihiko-senpai already. First Yukari, then Junpei, now it's Akihiko-senpai. That was fast."_

Shrugging his shoulders, he stood up straight from his position and walked down the last flight of stairs. He reached the dorm lounge and his eyes first directed to where Hamuko was: the kitchen.

She was sitting down on one of the available seats on the dining table. In front of her, was her usual bowl of chocolate cereal with milk and a glass of water. Hamuko shifted her focus from her bowl of cereal to Minato, who was heading for the kitchen. She watched as he prepared a bowl of cereal for himself, and when he finished, he sat next to her.

"Good morning, Hamuko." Minato greeted her. His eyes shifted to her gaze and he smiled.

Hamuko grinned, "Good morning, Minato-nii! Had a nice sleep?"

"Not really. Especially with that dream..." Minato groaned, scooping up some of his cereal and ate it.

"Ah, you are right about that." Hamuko spoke, nodding in confirmation that she dreamt the same thing, "But don't worry about that, Minato-nii! We'll know more about it tonight, right?"

Minato nodded, "True."

"Now, come on, we have to eat our breakfast quickly. Otherwise, we'll be late!" Hamuko exclaimed. She gave Minato a light punch on the shoulder, before proceeding to scarf down her cereal. Minato ate his cereal quickly as well.

When the twins finished, they picked up their school bags which was on the floor and walked out of the dorm, greeted the sunny and breezy day with a smile, and headed for the train station that would take them to school.

 **.**

 **April 9, 2009** **  
** **Thursday** **  
** **After School** **  
** **-** **  
** **Full Moon**

"Classes are finally over!" Junpei shouted out enthusiastically as soon as the dismissal bell had rung. Their classmates started to pack up their school supplies, while others remained for their after school activities. Yukari rolled her eyes at Junpei, while Hamuko giggled as she saw that her brother had once again fallen asleep in class.

She poked her brother from behind, "Hey, Minato-nii! Classes just ended!"

Minato raised up his head and stared at Hamuko with sleepy eyes. Junpei watched the twins gleefully, unable to hide his snickers and chuckles.

"Huh...? Classes ended?" Minato asked, and his words followed up with a yawn.

"Yeah!" Hamuko exclaimed, punching her first in the air.

"Oh, alright." Minato replied, "I'll be going home then."

Minato had started packing up his school books, notebooks, and pens into his school bag. He didn't notice that Junpei had gasped upon hearing his words and stood by his side to provoke him not to leave yet and stay by his side so they would have another afternoon hang out.

"Hey! Hey! Minato! Don't go home yet, I'll be taking you to Paulownia Mall! We'll be going to the arcade!" Junpei exclaimed excitedly, shaking Minato's arm a little. He's hoping that his pleas would convince Minato not leave yet.

But Minato shook his head, slung his school bag on his shoulder, and gave his most _convincing_ tired smile at Junpei, "Sorry Junpei, but I really want to rest right now. Maybe another time."

Junpei frowned at his response, but decided to let Minato do what he wished. He nodded to confirm that he understood Minato's wish, and he watched as Minato left the classroom in slow steps. Junpei was left with Hamuko, who had watched the entire scene quietly, and Yukari, who had just finished packing her things.

"...Hey, Hamuko, is your brother okay?" Junpei inquired the brown-haired girl.

Hamuko shrugged her shoulder, "I'm not sure. He's probably tired."

"Oh...alright then." was all Junpei could respond with, and then he turned to the two females, "Say, would you two lovely ladies love to go with me to Paulownia Mall?"

Before Hamuko could respond to Junpei's invitation with a enthusiastic "Yes!," Yukari scoffed and grabbed ahold of her hand. She glared at Junpei, who froze on the spot as soon as his eyes met hers, "No! I'm not letting her be around someone like you, Stupei! Come on, Hamuko, we're going there ourselves!"

Yukari proceeded to drag Hamuko out of the classroom, leaving Junpei all alone in the classroom. He slumped a bit from where he stood, frowning and sighing, before regaining his enthusiasm upon spotting Kenji and Kazushi on the hallway and inviting them to the arcade.

Meanwhile, Minato was already in Iwatodai and was steps away from home. He opened the front door, only to be greeted by a familiar loneliness that haunted him many, many times. He headed for his room, where upon reaching it, had dropped his bag on the spot and laid down on his bed, still wearing his school uniform.

 _Tonight is the night_ , the thought repeated on his head, _Tonight...I...will..."_

Before Minato could finish his thoughts, he fell asleep into a deep slumber.

 **.**

After hanging out with Yukari for the day, Hamuko bid a "Good night!" to Yukari and headed straight for her room to sleep. Before reaching her room though, she decided to eavesdrop on Minato's room to find out what he was doing.

Hamuko already knew why Minato had wanted to leave early. He had wished to take an early slumber before the Dark Hour had come and _it_ would happen. He had told her that she wouldn't do the same though, as it might arouse suspicion to Yukari.

When she had leaned her ear on Minato's door, she only heard loud snores coming from the other side.

She couldn't help but giggle at him, and she proceeded once again to her room, to prepare her energy for tonight by sleeping.

 **.**

 **April 9, 2009** **  
** **Thursday** **  
** **Dark Hour** **  
** **-** **  
** **Full Moon**

The Dark Hour has come and like usual, Ikutsuki, Mitsuru, and Yukari were in the command room. On the screen of the command room's main computer, was live footage of what was currently happening in the twins' bedrooms.

On one screen, Minato was lying down with his back facing up, and his arms and legs were spread out everywhere. His bedsheets were in a mess and they could hear his snores. On the other screen, Hamuko was already asleep soundly in her pajamas and she wrapped herself up in her blankets.

Yukari paced around the command room, still bothered by how wrong it was for them to be watching the twins in their sleep. Spying on people didn't feel right for her, but the chairman and Mitsuru didn't seem unfazed by it.

"Interesting. They haven't experienced any of the common symptoms yet." Ikutsuki spoke happily, browsing through his notes on the clipboard, "Now, we just need to find out if they have the _potential_."

"But we're treating them like guinea pigs..." Yukari spoke up to Ikutsuki.

"I understand your concern, but it is imperative that we recruit new members." Ikutsuki responded to Yukari, "Besides, wouldn't it be more comfortable if you have two classmates working alongside you?"

"Well, I guess, but-"

Before Yukari could finish her sentence, she was cut off by a loud ring coming from the command room's computer. Mitsuru knew that the ring was coming from someone who would be calling them, and the only person who would do that would be...

"Command room," Mitsuru pressed the button and called out to the other line, "Is that you, Akihiko?"

"You're not gonna believe this! This thing is huge!" Akihiko exclaimed excitedly, "Unfortunately, I don't have time to talk! It's chasing me! Also, I'm almost at the dorm!"

"What?!" Yukari exclaimed, and her whole body froze in fear as to what might be chasing after her senior, "Does that mean he's bringing that THING here?!"

"Mr. Chairman!" Mitsuru called out to Ikutsuki, "We will suspend our observation and prepare for battle!"

"R-Right! Be careful!" Ikutsuki nodded.

Mitsuru and Yukari grabbed their Evokers that they had set down on the command room's table and started to run downstairs to the dorm lounge. Ikutsuki was trailing behind the two girls. At the same time that they reached the ground floor, Akihiko had barged into the dorm lounge and locked the door behind him. He slumped into the ground afterwards, leaning on the door and using his hand to cover the bloody injury he sustained on his ribs.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru reached to his side, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Akihiko responded, "Get ready to be surprised. It'll be here any minute."

Mitsuru furrowed her eyebrows at him, "This is no time to joke around!"

"Is it one of them, Akihiko?" Ikutsuki asked worriedly.

"Yes, but it's not an ordinary one." Akihiko spoke.

When the senior had finished his words, the four felt the ground shake and rumble. Yukari yelped in surprise and fear, Ikutsuki felt himself sweating, and Mitsuru and Akihiko had shocked expressions on their faces. They knew that something bad was happening and they needed to act.

 _Now._

"Mr. Chairman, please head for the command room!" Mitsuru instructed Ikutsuki, to which he nodded and started to run for the stairs, "And Takeba, go upstairs and wake up the twins. Then, escape out the back."

"B-But, what about you two?!" Yukari asked worriedly.

"We'll fight it and stop it here." Mitsuru spoke firmly, "Akihiko, you led it to us, so I'm afraid you'll have to fight."

"Like I had a choice!" Akihiko responded and turned his attention to Yukari, "What are you waiting for Yukari?! Go! Now!"

"I-I'm on it!" Yukari exclaimed, and she turned on her heels and started to run frantically up the stairs.

She could feel the sweat trickling down her forehead and her heart started to race much faster than before. There was a Shadow that was coming for them, and she was scared as hell as to what might happen to them. Would Mitsuru and Akihiko defeat it? Would Ikutsuki be safe? Will she be able to save the Arisato twins?

Eventually, she reached for Minato's room first, and was about to bang on the door when Minato had opened the door. Her eyes widened to see that Minato had already opened the door. Did he feel the ground shake or hear the noise?

"I don't have time to talk! Please, follow me!" Yukari shouted. Minato didn't even bother to complain or inquire about her actions, and simply followed the girl.

Yukari started to run to the third floor with Minato trailing behind her. Eventually, she reached for Hamuko's room, only to get the same outcome of Hamuko opening the door before even bothering to knock.

"Y-Yukari! What was that noise?!" Hamuko asked worriedly, and Yukari noticed that she was sweating and she held a fearful expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, but I can't explain it right now! Please, follow me!" Yukari exclaimed

The three started to run downstairs and they made it to the dorm lounge. Just as Yukari was about to head for the back door, she heard a voice calling out to her inside her head. It was Mitsuru's!

"Takeba, do you read me?" Mitsuru asked her.

"Y-Yes, I can hear you!" Yukari responded.

"Be careful! There's more than one enemy!" Mitsuru warned, "The one we're fighting isn't the one Akihiko saw!"

"What?!" Yukari exclaimed frantically.

At the same time Yukari spoke her words, she felt the ground shake once again. Yukari jolted in surprise, while Minato and Hamuko were frozen on the spot.

"What's that?!" Hamuko asked after recovering from her brief shock.

Yukari took hold of her and Minato's hand, "I'm sorry I can't explain it all right now! Let's pull back!"

They turned heels for the stairs and started to run up. As the three continued to run up the stairs, they heard glass breaking and felt the ground shaking. Yukari didn't know if what she was doing was right, but what was important right now was to bring these two to safety. After more running, they reached the dorm's rooftop. Yukari locked the door behind her and let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness." Yukari spoke, "The door's locked. I think we're safe for now..."

She heard a roar.

All heads turned to face to where could possibly be the source of the sound. They watched in horror, as black hands slowly raised themselves up with one holding a blue mask with an "I" engraved on it. Some hands held nothing, while others held sword-looking objects. It somehow managed to climb up to the roof and Yukari was scared shitless.

"Y-You've got to be kidding me! How did that Shadow climb up the wall?!" Yukari exclaimed. She could feel her body trembling, the sweat trickling down her body, and she could feel her heartbeat racing.

"...I...I have to fight!" She exclaimed, picking up the Evoker from her holster, "I-I can summon mine...no problem...!"

Still trembling, she placed the Evoker on her forehead and placed her finger near the trigger. Yukari closed her eyes. All she had to do was pull the trigger and summon it...

...Right...?

 _She can't._

The images of blood appeared in her mind...

 _Yukari_ ** _can't_** _do it._

...Blood gushing out of her forehead...

 _No!_

...Her limp body laid still on the floor...

 _ **NO!**_

"Yukari!"

Suddenly, she felt something _push_ her to the side.

Yukari opened her eyes to see that Hamuko had pushed her to the side, and at the same time, the Shadow had unleashed fire that was meant to attack Yukari. It didn't attack them, gratefully, and Yukari felt thankful to Hamuko for saving her.

But then, she realized that she had lost hold of her Evoker. Yukari looked around to try to find out where it was, until she spotted it. It was on Minato's feet, and she saw that the Shadow had started to head for Minato's direction.

"Minato, run!" Yukari screamed at him.

But Minato didn't budge at all from his spot, instead, he gave Yukari his most tender smile.

 **.**

This was all part of the plan.

Hamuko had saved Yukari from the Shadow's attack, but her Evoker had slipped out of her fingers and landed (coincidentally) on Minato's feet. He watched as the Shadow had started to head towards him, and Yukari screamed for him to get away.

But instead of moving, he smiled at her. Hopefully, she would get the message. The message was that Minato will be fine. Hamuko will be fine. Yukari will be fine.

 _Everything is going to be fine_.

He picked up the Evoker from the ground and stared at it intently. All those horrendous memories of his first Persona summoning started to bubble up inside him, but he continued to smile. He knows that it's going to be a bit painful, and that he would faint afterwards.

But, everything is going to be fine.

And then, he felt a searing pain rising up in his head.

"Ah...Agh!" He exclaimed, clutching his hair tightly and his eyes were tightly shut.

He didn't understand what was causing the pain. His head hurts so badly.

It hurts. _It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. IT HURTS. IT HURTS._ _**IT HURTS. IT HURTS. IT HURTS. IT HURTS. IT HURTS. IT HURTS.**_

Minato _needed_ to do **_something_**!

DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. _DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT._ ** _DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT._**

He...He **_needs_** to...!

PULL THE TRIGGER. PULL THE TRIGGER. _PULL THE TRIGGER. PULL THE TRIGGER. PULL THE TRIGGER. **PULL THE TRIGGER. PULL THE TRIGGER. PULL THE TRIGGER.**_

"P-Per..."

He coughed out the first syllable, as the pain on his head continued to bother him to no end. He felt so tired, and he just wanted to let out all the pain building up inside him.

" _So..._ "

An image of Pharos appeared in his mind, and it slowly morphed into Ryoji, and then to-

" **NA!** "

Minato pulled the trigger.

The pain had built up to an infinite ton, but at the same time, he felt a thrilling sensation soar in his body. He didn't realize that a smirk had formed on his lips and his eyes had glowed a sky blue. From the depths of the fiery blue behind him, his Persona rose before him.

But, it wasn't the one they had expected.

"W-What...wait...wha...?!" Hamuko spoke up, her eyes widened in horror as she saw the Persona that Minato had summoned.

 _Thanatos._

"Thou art I...and I...am thou...

"I...am Thanatos...I was born of thee, and I shall walk by thy side..."

When it had finished speaking it's words, Thanatos suddenly crouched to the ground and clutched onto it's head. Then, it screeched out inaudible words and jerked upwards. At that same moment, Minato felt the pain in his body reach at it's maximum point and he screamed out his loudest.

" _AAAA **AAHHH! ! ! ! ! !**_ " Minato screeched, and he knelt to the ground while clutching his head. He mumbled various words and sentences that didn't make sense, praying that they would help subside the pain away.

It couldn't.

In rage, Thanatos raced for the Shadow and started to attack it with all it's might. It tore apart the limbs, smashed it multiple times to the ground, and even started to feed onto it. Hamuko and Yukari watched it all in horror, while Minato remained on the ground, kneeling and screaming and gasping for air.

"MAKE IT STOP! _MAKE IT STOP!_ ** _MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE!_** " He continued to scream. His body trembled.

Eventually, Thanatos had defeated the Shadow. It had stopped it's movements once the deed had been done and it remained still in the air, floating on the ground. Thanatos faced Minato, and with the little strength he had, Minato looked up to face Thanatos straight in it's supposed eyes.

For some reason, he thought he saw Ryoji.

After a few more moments, Thanatos disappeared from the air, leaving nothing but black dust behind. The two females that had watched everything unfold before them felt like they suddenly remembered how to breathe.

"M-Minato-nii!" Hamuko remembered her brother and called out for him, and raced for her brother with Yukari trailing behind her. When they reached his side, she saw that he was still kneeling on the ground, clutching the hairs of his head and taking in short breaths. Sweat trickled down his body and he could feel an uncomfortable heat rise inside him.

"Ha...Hamu...ko...Yu...kari..." He managed to huff out, and made brief eye contact with the two girls, "It's...okay...it's all...part...of...the..."

He felt himself getting weaker, as he suddenly thought that he had felt lighter than before. Then, his body fell to the ground and his consciousness had lulled away to his dreams.

"Minato-nii?! Minato-nii!" Hamuko called out for her brother, shaking him in hopes that he would awaken. But he had passed out, leaving the two girls left awake in the ungodly hour.

Suddenly, they heard a gurgle.

Yukari turned to her left and saw two black blobs coming to their direction. She shrieked and slowly backed away, all while shouting at the Shadows to go away. Meanwhile, Hamuko widened her eyes as soon as she saw the two Shadows that were coming for them.

It was _her_ turn.

After all, it was all part of the plan...

...Right?

Hamuko reached for the Evoker that Minato dropped after summoning Thanatos. Like what Minato had done, she had positioned it to her temple and waited for a few moments. She needed to do it at the right moment. To save Yukari, to save Minato, to save Akihiko and Mitsuru, and to _live_.

"Per..."

" _So..._ "

" **NA!** "

Hamuko pulled the trigger.

Just like Minato, she felt the very same exhilarating sensation rise up in her chest. Hamuko could feel that a grin had formed on her lips. _This_ feeling! _This_ emotion!

Her Persona had risen from the fiery blue depths behind her. Yukari widened her eyes as soon as she had set her eyes on the Persona. It had beautiful, light auburn hair, a red scarf wrapped around it's neck, and it's chest is in the color of gold. A white lyre latched itself on it's back.

"Thou art I...and I am thou..." the Persona spoke, "I am Orpheus, master of the strings..."

With the newborn sensation that risen in her soul, Hamuko pointed her index finger to the two Shadows and murmured a simple command to her Persona.

"Bash."

With swift movements, Orpheus grabbed hold of it's lyre, raised it high up on the air, and bashed it down on one of the Shadows. It repeated the same action on the other Shadow. Yukari watched it all in amazement.

After defeating the two Shadow blobs, Orpheus faced Hamuko with a gentle smile on it's face, before disappearing into the thin air. Along with the disappearance of Orpheus, was the euphoric feeling that Hamuko had felt.

Hamuko smiled, "I...did it..."

And she started to feel it too. Her body started to feel light as well, and before she knew it, she had fallen to the ground and lost consciousness.

* * *

 **A/N:** I was supposed to update this weeks ago, but life had come and swooped me up to reality...temporarily. But now, I'm back! With a new chapter!

It was honestly fun writing the latter portion of this fic, especially with the first time Persona summoning and all. Now the question you might be wondering, why is Minato's initial Persona, Thanatos? ...Is it really Thanatos?

You'll all find out soon! For now, you can all guess. Oh, and speaking of guesses, in the next chapter, I would be revealing the official romantic ships for the Protagonists!

Fun tidbit! Here's a small summary preview for next chapter: A dream, a hospital, shenanigans, and welcome to SEES!

Aaaaanyways, that's all for now, I can't say I'll update this soon as I have work (uhuhuhu). But, I'll update it when I do have the time!

Thanks for reviewing/favoriting/following this fic! Reviews are greatly appreciated and see you all in the next chapter!

 **EDIT:** Aaahh, I edited a certain dialogue in the fic that no one was supposed to know till the next or next next chapter. Whoops!;;;;


	4. (Re)Joining

**Breaking the Chains**  
(Re)Joining

 **.**

 _There was you._  
 _There was me._  
 _And there is us._

 **.**

 **? ? ?**

Minato didn't know why, but he felt so relaxed and at peace.

 _Was it time to wake up?_

He opened his eyes after so long and he expected to see either the Velvet Room with Igor, Elizabeth, and Theodore greeting him, or the shining rays of the sunlight and the face of a worried Yukari Takeba.

Instead, what greeted the boy from his slumber was a view of a hospital room.

Two beds were in front of him, and they were occupied by two sleeping figures. A boy on the Minato's left and a girl on Minato's right. Minato started to move towards the two beds. As he moved closer, his vision became clearer and he started to notice the details of what laid out before him. Attached to the sleeping figures, were those tiny yet very long hospital wires that connected to liquid packs. There were also oxygen masks attached to their faces and the figures before him were taking slow and deep breaths. When Minato got a clear vision of their faces, he gasped and held his breath.

Before him, were the still sleeping figures of Minato and Hamuko Arisato.

Suddenly, he heard the door swing open. Minato jolted up from his position and turned back to see who had entered. For some reason, the face of the person who had entered was blurred out, but the rest of the person's body wasn't. Based on his observations, Minato had concluded that the person who had entered was a man, based on his build, and was a doctor in the hospital, based on the white coat he wore and the stethoscope that hung around his neck. On the doctor's hands, he held a clipboard.

The doctor didn't seem to notice the Minato standing between the two beds.

He reached for the foot of the sleeping Minato's bed and stood motionlessly before the sleeping Minato. Minato wondered if he was observing his actions, as after a few moments of silence, the doctor took out a pen from his coat pocket and started jotting down notes on his clipboard.

"As usual...██ ████████ █████..." He muttered, although the tone of the doctor's voice sounded like it had been morphed exaggeratedly and some of his words were censored.

The door swung open again, and the invisible Minato and the doctor turned to see who had entered. This time, the entire body had been blurred out, so the invisible Minato couldn't tell who had entered or even guess what they are. However, he noted that the figure was carrying a backpack. The figure walked up to the right of where the sleeping Hamuko's bed was, sat down on the vacant seat that was next to her bed, and had set down the backpack the figure had carried.

"Doctor," The figure spoke up. Just like the doctor's voice, the tone of the figure's voice had been morphed exaggeratedly, "have you found out anything?"

The doctor shook his head, "No, I'm sorry, ██████-███. From ███ █████ today, they have ████████ the ████ as ██████. Don't █████, ████ ███ still ██████ and no ███████ have ████ found."

Minato heard a sigh from the other figure, "I-I...see..."

For the third time, the door had swung open and two more blurred out figure had entered. One had stayed at the door while the other reached for the sleeping Minato's bed, standing next to him and holding his hand.

"█████," the figure who was near Hamuko's bed spoke up, "They're...████, but ██ ███████ ████ ████ they ████ ████ anytime ████."

"Ah..." The figure near Minato's bed bowed down, "That's...████ of a ██████."

As the two blurred out figures and the doctor remained still in their positions, Minato suddenly felt a great force pull him back. It wasn't like the one in the void, where it had literally forced him to move, but rather, it was slow and steady. It felt like watching someone slowly walk away from you, and you stood there in place and patiently watched their figure disappear. But as he was being pulled back, he had gotten closer to the person that had stood behind the door.

For some reason, he felt the need to close his eyes.

His eyelids slowly closed and he felt himself getting drowsier and weaker. Before succumbing into another slumber, he thought he had gotten a clear look of who was standing behind the door, and he heard _her_ all too familiar voice speak.

"Please... _wake up._ "

 **.**

 **April 17, 2009  
Friday  
Morning  
-**  
 **Waning Gibbous**

And Minato did wake up.

The bright sunlight greeted his tired eyes, almost blinding him. Minato raised his hand to cover his eyes from the radiant sun rays. His head ached a little. Letting out a rather loud yawn, he sat up from the bed and decided to take a look of his surroundings. On his right, he saw Hamuko still lying down, but her eyes were open. She had just awoken from her own slumber.

"Y-You're both finally awake!" Yukari's voice suddenly exclaimed. He turned to his left, to see that Yukari had stood up from her chair and held a surprised expression on her face, "How do you feel?"

Hamuko's tired eyes shifted to gaze back at Yukari's and she gave her a small smile, "...Um, we're okay."

"...Wh-Where are we...?" Minato spoke, and he rubbed the back of his head. His head ached a little, and he wondered if-

 _-Oh._

Suddenly, the memory of what had happened that night flashed before his eyes. Hamuko saving Yukari, the dropped Evoker, the sudden sharp pain that had been arisen inside him, and...Thanatos appearing before him. While everything had seemingly gone according to plan, he was surprised that he had summoned Thanatos as his Persona. Would this mean Thanatos is his initial Persona?

"Oh, thank goodness, you both finally came to!" Yukari spoke happily, "We're currently in Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. It's a short walk from the station. The doctor said they couldn't find anything wrong with the both of you, stating that you both were just exhausted."

Hamuko sat up and looked around her, "Ah! So...we really did..."

She trailed off mid-sentence and the room was now enveloped into an uncomfortable silence. They all knew what Hamuko had wanted to say, that what had happened that night...was all true. Meanwhile, Yukari was still in awe about the amazing power the twins possessed, but she couldn't help but clench her fists and bite her lip remembering how she...

"About your power..." Yukari spoke up, breaking the silence and the twins turned their attention to her, "I-It was amazing."

"R-Really?" Hamuko couldn't think of a better response, rubbing the back of her head and grinning sheepishly, "I-I was kind of surprised when it happened, haha! I didn't even know we had something like that, though."

"Although...those things, what were they?" Minato inquired, looking up and faced Yukari with a curious expression.

Of course, Minato knew what they were and basically why they existed. But he needed to bring up that certain subject, as not doing so might raise some suspicion for Yukari.

"Oh, those things? That's what we're fighting against. We call them "Shadows." And the power you used...we call it, 'Persona.'" Yukari explained, "We'll explain everything else later. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you before..."

Yukari frowned a little, paused, and bit her lip. _Now is the time to tell them_ , she thought. She needs to let it all out.

"Also, I just wanted you both to know that I'm...sort of like the two of you."

The twins' held their breath for a second once Yukari had spoken those words. Hamuko decided to take the initiative to ask her what she meant, despite knowing what she was about to say, "What do you mean?"

"My...dad died in an accident when I was little. Around '99, a big explosion happened in the same place he was working at and he supposedly died when it happened." Yukari continued, "Ever since then, my mom and I aren't exactly in good terms now.

"...While the both of you always find time for each other, you're both still alone together, right? Truthfully, I already know about your past. It didn't seem fair that I know so much about you, so I want to let you both know about mine. That's why I stick around here, hoping to find out something about it.

"...I'm really sorry again for not being able to be of much help. I really wished there was something I could have done to help you both."

Yukari hung her head low and tried to hide her pained expression from the twins. But she heard a giggle from Hamuko, and she looked up to see her grinning while Minato gave her sincere smile.

"You don't need to apologize, Yukari! It's not your fault!" Hamuko exclaimed, raising up her hands and waving them frantically, "What matters is that we're all okay! Don't worry about it!"

"Hamuko's right," Minato spoke up, "You're doing well, right? That's what matters to us."

Yukari raised up her head and whatever was weighing her down, it was starting to lift up and disappear. She felt much better than how she was moments, and she couldn't help but let a smile form on her lips, the most radiant smile that she has ever given to anyone in so long. She felt so much relief, to finally have someone she could trust after so long. The twins smiled back at her, with Hamuko giggling a little bit.

"Thanks. From now on, I will be more honest to the both of you." Yukari spoke, standing up from her seat and started to head for the door, "Well, I better get going. I'll tell the doctor and Mitsuru-senpai that you two have awoken. See you."

She waved farewell to the twins and left their hospital room. The twins were left alone now, and five seconds after Yukari left, Hamuko managed to scooch a bit near Minato's bedside and punched him in the arm. _Hard._

"Ow!" Minato yelped in pain and clutched onto the area where Hamuko punched him, "What was that for?!"

"Scaring me to _death_ , you...you piece of _shit_!" Hamuko exclaimed angrily and she crossed her arms, "Dammit, you know, I thought you were going to _die_ there. Gratefully, that didn't happen!"

Minato stared at her for a few moments, before stifling out a chuckle, "Hamuko, don't think that. See, I'm fine now. Nothing to worry about, alright?"

Hamuko stood up from her bed. She was clenching her fists and fighting back the tears that were starting to form in her eyes, "I know you are! It's just..." She hung her head low, "I don't want you to die... _not_ yet, _not_ now, _not_ in the next few years, Minato-nii! You're sacrificing yourself again so everyone will be safe! It's just like _that time_! Please, I don't want to go through all this without you, brother!"

With the uncontrollable tears streaming down her eyes, Hamuko clenched onto Minato's hospital sheets with her hands and slammed her fists onto the white mattress. The bright smile she always bore had shattered away into nothingness and revealed her true self: a trembling, naked body wishing and fearing for the future.

Minato understood why Hamuko had felt that way. He understood that she was worried about him, that she might be alone again on the journey and never having someone to understand her. Understand how happy she is meeting SEES again, understand that she will have to fight against Death again, and understand that once all said is done, everything starts all over again. It was painful to watch SEES go through cycle blindly again and again. Fighting Death was now more of a chore than a challenge. Dying and living the year again and again felt...tiring.

She used to wish to die, and had accepted death at the first few times. But now, she just wants to live. Be free from the battles and continue on after March 5th, 2010 was now her new wish. But, why wouldn't the chains of time break her free from the burdens? From the year?

Minato wonders and feels the same way as her, and that itself makes Hamuko truly happy to be with him. Because they had gone through the same thing, and he _understands_. So if he dies now, she will...

With what little strength he had, Minato gave Hamuko his most reassuring smile and hugged her tightly. Hamuko's eyes widened as she felt her brother's warmth embrace her. Without hesitation, she hugged him back while still sobbing.

"I know you're scared, little sister. I, too, am scared of the future." Minato spoke to her softly, "And I know I can be a bit selfless at times, and it might cause some accidents. But trust me when I say this, nothing will ever stop me from saving all of us from this endless cycle, not even Death. I will stand by you and together, we will save us and the world."

Hamuko smiled a little after hearing his words, and suddenly, she felt a bit better. She trusted him on this, and she needed to know, that it was all going to be alright. They will make it through it all, they know it.

The twins stayed still in their embrace for a while longer, letting themselves feel at peace with each other's close presence.

 **.**

 **April 18, 2009  
Saturday  
Morning  
** **-  
Last Quarter**

After taking one last checkup with the doctor, the twins were checked out of the hospital and managed to go home before midnight came. Mitsuru greeted them last night with a cool smile on her face and with her is the trying-not-to-show-it-but-a-sorta-enthusiastic Yukari. After having a quick dinner, they headed for their rooms and managed to get a peaceful sleep that night.

Now, it was the next morning and they had just arrived at the school grounds together. A cool breeze swept by them, and the usual noise of the weekday mornings buzzed all around them. As they walked with the crowd to enter the school, an all too familiar voice called out to them.

"Hey, you two!"

The sound of frantic footsteps can be heard behind them and they turned to see a worn out Junpei. He crouched a bit on the floor and took in deep breaths, before standing up tall and wink at the two. His signature smile had formed on his lips and he waved at them, happy to meet the twins after so long.

"Been a while since I last saw you both, I heard you guys were absent! You both okay now?" Junpei asked, crossing his arms and his smile disappeared, giving them worried looks instead.

Hamuko nodded and a grin formed on her lips, "Yup! We're fine now! Thanks for the concern, Junpei."

As the twins and Junpei headed for the school's front door, Yukari appeared out of the blue, surprising Junpei and Hamuko while Minato just stared at her indifferently.

"Good morning Minato, Hamuko!" Yukari greeted the twins with a smile, and it changed too quickly upon looking at Junpei.

Her eyes stared daggers at the boy wearing the cap, and in response, he flinched and slowly scooted away, but not before bidding a "See you two in class!" to the twins.

With Junpei gone, Yukari turned to face the twins and smiled at them once again, "Sorry to bother you both with this in the morning, but…"

 _Ah,_ they knew where this was going.

"Ikutsuki-san would like to talk to the both of you after school. Would that be okay?"

"Sure!" Hamuko immediately responded, giving to Yukari her signature grin once again. Minato only nodded silently as his response.

"Great!" Yukari exclaimed, "Come to the fourth floor of the dorm once you get back, okay?"

And she turned around, waved them a "See you soon!", and headed off to the school's front doors. Once Yukari disappeared, Hamuko's grin formed to a frown and she almost gagged.

"Ew, we have to meet Iku- _shit_ -suki again." She mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Now, now, Hamuko, you know why we have to meet them." Minato spoke in a hushed tone.

"Yeaahh, I know. I just…ugh, I hate him." Hamuko responded, pouting her lips and crossing her arms.

Minato couldn't help but chuckle, "It's okay, I hate him too."

 **.**

 **April 18, 2009  
Saturday  
Evening  
** **-  
Last Quarter**

School was a bore today that Minato fell asleep right as the teacher opened his mouth, but on the other hand, Hamuko managed to stay awake for the entire day, taking notes on all the lessons she had learned today, and remembered that she would have to share her notes with her brother when the tests come in.

When Minato and Hamuko finally made it to the dorm after a surprisingly busy day at school, they found no one at the dorm's lobby. There was no sign of Yukari, who had left home early, Mitsuru, or even Ikutsuki. Of course, they knew what they had to do. After all, they had gone through this so many times already.

They headed for their rooms quickly just to settle down their school bags and proceeded to the fourth floor. They know what awaits them: an invitation to Hell.

Hamuko knocked on the command room door twice before opening it, and all eyes in the room turned to their direction as they heard the knocks and the door opening. Hamuko greeted the three people and the _one bastard_ inside with her usual grin while Minato only bowed at them slightly. The female twin trotted inside, and her other half followed her.

"Oh, good evening to you both!" Ikutsuki greeted them with a smile, "I'm glad you're both doing well, please do sit down."

Their expressions remained indifferent and they took a seat on one of the sofas.

"Before we begin, I would like to you both to meet Akihiko Sanada." Ikutsuki spoke, his hand gestured out to the only other male in the room aside from him and Minato, "I believe one of you have already met him though?"

"Yes, it was me!" Hamuko piped up and waved her hand at him happily, while holding her brother's hand and letting it wave at Akihiko, "Hello, Sanada-senpai! It's been a while!"

Akihiko could only chuckle and waved back at the two, "Hello to you, Hamuko. And your brother, I presume?"

Hamuko nodded, "Yup! This is my twin brother, Minato Arisato!" She nudged at Minato with her elbow and surprisingly, Minato didn't falter from her action. Instead, he raised his hand and waved at Akihiko.

"…Hi, Senpai." Were the only words he spoke.

After the greetings were made, the five students all sat down on the open seats while Ikutsuki had stood up from his place. He faced the twins with a serious expression, and the twins faced him back with serious (read as: disgust) expressions.

"Alright, let me ask, would you believe me if I told you that a day consists of more than 24 hours?" Ikutsuki inquired, and the twins swore that they saw his glasses shine for a bit.

The twins looked at each other first, then faced Yukari, Mitsuru, and Akihiko who all sat patiently, waiting for their answer. Finally, they faced back at Ikutsuki again.

"Yeah." They answered.

Ikutsuki widened his eyes in shock, Yukari and Mitsuru gasped, and Akihiko slightly flinched from his seat. Their response was…quite unexpected.

"You…you both know about the Dark Hour?!" Mitsuru asked, standing up from her seat.

"Um, yeah, if that's what you call it." Minato spoke up, "Ever since like ten years ago or something, we've…experienced these weird things happening every midnight. Dark green everywhere, blood sometimes, and the moon looks really scary."

"We don't really like staying up late because of it though," Hamuko continued, "But yes, we do know that some odd stuff happens every midnight. Funny, I thought…Minato and I were the only ones who know about it."

"Well, that won't be the case anymore." Mitsuru spoke up and all eyes were on her, "You see, everyone in this room now experience the Dark Hour, the time period that is hidden between one day and the next."

"And the Dark Hour will happen tonight, and the night after, again and again." Ikutsuki added.

"Normal people don't really notice it, since they're all sleeping in their coffins." Akihiko chimed into the talk, grinning eagerly as he talked, "Do you remember those creatures? Those are Shadows. They appear during the Dark Hour and attack anyone who isn't in a coffin. Our job here, is to defeat those Shadows. Sounds exciting, huh?"

Hamuko couldn't help but smile as well, because the thought of having to fight Shadows kind of made her excited. On the other hand, Minato just simply nodded, not showing much interest in the thought of Shadows.

Mitsuru frowned slightly at the excitement building up around Akihiko, "Akihiko! Why are you _always_ like that? You got hurt the other day!"

"Now, now, Mitsuru," Ikutsuki spoke up, "He does his work well."

The _bastard of a_ Chairman turned back his attention to the twins, and with a smile, he continued, "In short, we are the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad—SEES for short. On the paper, we are classified as a school club. But in reality, we are dedicated to defeat the Shadows. Mitsuru is the leader, while I am the advisor."

Mitsuru continued, "Shadows feed on the minds of their prey, and as a result, the victim becomes a corpse. They're usually responsible for the incidents on the news lately, if not, _all_ of them."

"…Um," Hamuko spoke up, "Well, couldn't the police handle them?"

Mitsuru shook her head, "Unfortunately, the police can't do anything during the Dark Hour."

"So, how do we fight the Shadows?" Minato inquired.

"Ah," Ikutsuki smiled, "Although rare, there are those who can function during the Dark Hour. And some can awaken to a power that could fight against these Shadows. That's Persona, the power you used that night. Only Persona-users can fight against them, meaning that it's all up to you guys."

"Hmm, I see…" Minato muttered softly, crossing his arms.

"Well," Mitsuru spoke up and walked to the table that stood in the middle of the room. It was only then that the twins realized that there were two suitcases on the table, and they knew all too well what would be inside those suitcases.

The red-haired senior opened the suitcases and inside, revealed the two Evokers, "What he's saying is that, we want you both to join us. We have an Evoker prepared for the both of you. Will you lend us your strength?"

A silence filled in the command room after Mitsuru spoke. Minato and Hamuko looked at each other. They knew that it would obviously come to this, and what would happen.

Of course, they will accept the offer, not like they _would_ refuse.

"Alright." Minato spoke up, standing up from his seat and Hamuko followed his movements, "We'll join you."

"Me too!" Hamuko exclaimed excitedly, raising her arms and waving happily, "This seems exciting! I want to fight these Shadows!"

The other four smiled at their response, relieved that the twins have accepted the invitation to join their odd group.

"Thank you," Mitsuru smiled, "If you have any questions, please feel free to ask us."

Yukari nodded and smiled at the twins, "I'm really glad you could join us."

A sheepish grin formed on Hamuko's lips and she chuckled, rubbing the back of her head, "Well, all this sounds quite interesting so who wouldn't want to join, right?"

Akihiko, who had listened into the conversation between the female juniors, couldn't help but nod excitedly and agree with Hamuko, "Yes, it is interesting."

Minato and Mitsuru remained silent as the three continued to mingle on, but they were also feeling quite happy. It's not obvious, but a smile also formed on their lips.

Unbeknownst to all except the twins, a faint sound of glass shattering had been heard. As they continued to get to know with their new (old) companions, a solemn voice speaks softly in their ears.

 _Thou art I, and I am thou…_

 _Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create Personas of the Fool Arcana…_

* * *

 **A/N:** HEEEELLLLOOOO FELLOW READERS! Anyone remember me? No? That's fine;;;

Anyways, hey! It's been so long! Man, 2016 was such a WILD RIDE, huh? I mean, despite all that...international chaos and what-not, 2016 was pretty decent for me. I graduated from HS and started uni (UNI IS HELL BTW), met new online peeps (they're all nice and so precious btw i love them all ;_;), WENT TO JAPAN (I DIDNT BUY LOTS OF P3 MERCH EXCEPT A RYOJI AND FUUKA KEYCHAIN;;; i was tempted to buy a blu-ray of the p3m4 movie thou huhu;;;;;), and well, discovered the Persona series! The only downside to this year was that an online friend left me...it was my fault...I miss them.

But yeah, so! I'm not highly satisfied with this chapter, even if it has been on my folders for months. Especially the middle and latter parts, since they're all rehashes of the P3 game. I might edit this chapter some time soon to fix some mistakes, it's already late here haha! Although, I did enjoy writing the first segment! By the way, what did you think of that? What do you think that means? WE'LL FIND OUT SOON!

As for the pairings, here it is! The official (and fulfilled) protagonist pairings for the fic is... _Hamuko/Akihiko_ and _Minato/Fuuka_! **ShadowAsh Senpai** guessed the Hamuko ship first, they got it right, and so they decided that Minato's partner is gonna be Fuuka (and personally i was happy bc i love minato/fuuka ok bye). Congrats! Those ships aside, there's also going to be a lot, and I mean A LOT of focus on the relationship between our two lovely protagonists and Aigis, Ryoji, and Shinjiro! Maybe with Chidori too, if I figure out how to implement it.

Anyways, that's all, I guess! I'll try to update this whenever I can! I already have the next chapter planned out, just...pray I write it down soon.

Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! Reviews are highly appreciated, and see you all in the next chapter!


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